Thursday, September 30, 2010

Tonight when I got back from Mason City Jen had to head off to a meeting in Tipton which left the boys and I at home entertaining ourselves. I told the boys if they pick up the house we could play some Xbox. So the boys ran around the house and diligently picked up everything that was on the floor and put it away. It took a bit because Clancey and Elyse had managed to get a lot of stuff out today. Finally after probably a good 30 minutes of picking up they got done. I headed over to the Xbox fired it up and noticed the power button was blinking red. Uh oh I thought, that looked a lot like the red ring of death everyone talks about so much. I turn the TV on and sure enough it said something about having a E74 error. I quickly went to the internet and confirmed that yes indeed I did have a red ring of death. I then headed over the Microsoft website to see if I can get it fixed. Sure enough after filling out a form Microsoft said my Xbox was still under warranty for this issue until Dec 29, 2010 and I wouldn't have to pay a thing to get it fixed. They even gave me a free shipping label to send it back. Now I just have to wait 3 weeks while they get it fixed. Marshall is a bit disappointed that it will be gone for a while but is happy that it's going to get fixed. He was pretty worried that he wasn't going to get anymore video game time. :)

Today we had somewhat of a family get together in Mason City. My grandmother, Lila Bang, passed away on Monday and the funeral was today. This is the first time this side of the family had gotten together in over 10 years. I hadn't seen most of this family in about that same amount of time. The picture above is me with all my cousins from this side of the family. It was good to see them but this is probably the last time we will all be together for another 10 years.

Wednesday, September 29, 2010

Every morning before Marshall and I head off to school and work respectively Clancey likes to give hugs, kisses and wave goodbye. Well this morning when Marsh and I were heading out the door Clancey was in the living room watching cartoons and didn't seem interested in coming out to say goodbye so Marsh and I head out the door. About the time Marshall had gotten into his seat Jen comes to the door to tell us that Clancey wanted to say goodbye. Before I know it Clancey dive bombs out the back door, naked as a jaybird, runs to the car to give me hugs and kisses. Someday Clancey is going to be horrified to know he was running around the backyard naked so of course I had to put it on the internet. ;)

Monday, September 27, 2010

Over the weekend Jen got all the paint scraped off of the west wall in the kitchen and the holes filled. On Sunday we went into Cedar Rapids to Menards to get the paint and wainscoting she wanted to put up. This week I'm betting she will have all the wainscoting put up along with having it all painted. I can't believe how much progress she is making so fast, makes me tired thinking about it.

Saturday, September 25, 2010

The boys and I made it down to the mall in Iowa City to hang out for a bit. When we were in Scheels Marshall told me he didn't like being in there because there was too much Hawkeye stuff. I laughed and told him that most people didn't know any better that unless you went to Iowa State you were by default a Hawkeye fan. What is the joke, what does Iowa State fans and Iowa fans have in common neither went to the University of Iowa. So far the boys are having a good time we've looked at books, toys, and video games all fun boy things. I think we are going to head out soon and get some ice cream and head home.

Update:You will notice in the picture that Clancey kind of looks a bit ackward tilted to one side with his hand behind his back. Well right at the time I took this picture Clancey decided to announce that he had to take a poop.

Its Saturday so take a guess where we are at, Panchero's. The boys were getting a bit stir crazy at home and Jen wanted to work on the kitchen so the boys and I headed to Cedar Rapids. The plan was to get some lunch and then head out for some geocaching but with the rain we may have to change the plans a bit. Thinking we may head to Iowa City to the big mall and then hit up Coldstone for some ice cream. I guess we will see what happens.

Friday, September 24, 2010

Earlier this week Jen found out she is going to be on the holiday home tour again this year so that has renewed Jen's focus on getting the kitchen done. Tonight she is working on getting the walls scraped and cleaned up in preparation for the bead board and paint. I imagine from here on out she is going to be working on it nearly every night until she is done. I will keep you posted of her progress.

Thursday, September 23, 2010

Clancey has been getting prepared for Halloween lately by wearing all of Marshall's old costumes around. For the longest time he said he wanted to be a pizza but now he can't decide between the chicken or puppy costume. For the past week he has worn the chicken costume around but now its the puppy so who knows what it will be next week. I'm sure by Halloween we will have to buy a new costume for him.

Tuesday, September 21, 2010

Today I took the time to head down to Ames to represent Rockwell Collins at the engineering career fair for the day. I'm really busy at work but figured it was important to go find some new engineers plus it gave me a break from the grind at work. My brother ended up coming to the career fair to represent his company so it was good to see him. Only bad part is I won't get home until 10 tonight, oh well.

Monday, September 20, 2010

This weekend was my first weekend post Ironman so I used all my free time to have some fun with the boys. Between the two days we played lego's, tackle daddy, video games and rode bikes. Marshall said a couple times how happy he was that Ironman was over so now I would have time to play with him. I guess this is why I only do it once every two years.

Sunday, September 19, 2010

Last week, when I was at the Ironman, the kids started Sunday school again. Actually Marshall started back to Sunday school and Clancey started Sunday school for the first time. Clancey has been so excited to get to go to school and so far he has been doing good. I worry a bit about him since he started a year early and can be pretty naughty at times. I'm sure, since he likes it so much, he will continue to be good and follow the rules.

Saturday, September 18, 2010

Today the boys were getting a little stir crazy in the house being total loons so I took them down to Tipton to check out the toys at Walmart. So far Clancey has been really interested in checking out all the cars. We will see if we leave here without buying any new toys.

Thursday, September 16, 2010

Today I had a dentist appointment to get my first cavity filled. I was a bit nervous and even more so when I saw the size of the needle he had to stick in my gums. Thank gosh they put some topical pain killer on first or I would have probably screamed like a baby. Turned out to not be that bad. Just a little nerve wracking to here the drill and wonder if he would go to deep and it would hurt. Turns out it never did and the procedure went alright. Just sucks to make it this far in without a cavity and get one now.

Monday, September 13, 2010

After 9 month of training and countless hours swimming, biking and running I became an Ironman for the second time yesterday. Any day that you start and finish an Ironman is a good day but it was a sufferfest. The swim start was just down right brutle yesterday. It was a full mile of fighting people for what little space was available to swim in, I got kicked and hit more times then I can count, I don't remember the swim being so rough the last time I did it. At about 1.5 miles I got a cramp in my calf that I was able to get out but I was worried the whole rest of the swim. The final turn buoy couldn't come soon enough and when it did it felt damn good. When I finally did exit the water I felt like I was drunk because I was so dizzy. Being in the water for two hours really messes up the inner ear and balance so I sure I was quite the show when I got out of the water.

The bike went great for me this time, I cut an hour and a half off my time from last time. On the first loop of the bike there were no issues what so ever, I was able to attack all the hills, had no cramping issues, and I felt good. At about mile 70 I started to fight some cramping issues in my quads but nothing that prevented me from being able to ride the hills. Last time I had to walk most of the hills on the second lap so it felt damn good to be riding them this time. At mile 80 the back of my neck really started to hurt from being In the aerobars all day and it became torture to be on the bike from then on. I tried and tried to find a comfortable position but it just wasn't happening, I guess being on the bike for 7 hours will do that to you. I sure was nice when I got to the top of the helix and I could hand my bike over to the volunteers.

The run, much like the bike, became the story of two laps. Lap one went well, lap two not so much. On the first lap I was right at 10 minute mile pace and felt like I was going to be able to bring it home in around 5 hours but at mile 12 it all changed. At mile 12 my quads started to cramp up and I started to get blisters on the bottom of my feet and heels and lap two became a sufferfest. There were a couple times that's my feet hurt so bad on the run that I wanted to stop fall to the ground and call I quits. I knew I would never forgive myself it I did that. I then thought about all the pain Jen had to go through when she had both the boys, without any epidural's, and I figured I could suffer through 3 hours to make it to the finish. Ironman is a day about focusing on small little goals all day so I set a goal to make it to the next aid station 13 times and I was able to pull through. I wish I had been able to muster a run for the finish chute but I just couldn't. This time I did live it up in the finish chute and took the time to really enjoy it. I'll post the video that one of my friends captured off line and the video that Jen took.

While I'm complaining about how much I suffered, yesterday was a great day. I started and finished an Ironman and I had great support from my friends and family. I proved to myself that I could do it again. The first time it was ignorance and dumb luck that got me across the finish line. Yesterday it was hard work and determination that got me through. I do plan to do the race again but it will be at least two years. Ironman takes a lot of time to train for and I owe my wife and kids a lot family time. I can't thank my wife and kids enough for supporting me through all of my training over the past 9 months.

Sunday, September 12, 2010

Hey Everyone that's watching......if you can take a minute and send some good vibes Levi's way that would be great!!! He's having a lot of cramping and pain....he NEEDS us right now!!! GO IRONMAN LEVI GO!!!!!!!

This is Jen reporting.....I've taken over the blog for the next 13 hours! Levi is swimming as I type (I ran back to the hotel to drop off his warm clothes and thought I'd type a proper entry.) This morning Levi was nervous....but like the superhero he is, he channeled it into energy....and boy, he was READY. When all the swimmers were treading water the announcer came over the speaker and yelled "Promise yourself RIGHT NOW....YOU. WILL. BE. AN. IRONMAN. TODAY!!!!!". Gave me chills....and I'm sure Levi did too. If you've never witnessed an event this epic, someday you must. 3,000 athletes, in prime physcial condition, all in one place, with the same goal. The air almost vibrates around them.

SO, I would like to take this opportunity to thank the family and friends that HAVE supported Levi with calls, emails, messages, Facebook posts, etc, etc. EVERY SINGLE ONE has touched his heart. His friends are his family. He loves you all....and so do I.

Its race day here in Madison and I'm ready to get this show on the road. 250 days ago I started this adventure and in 3 hours it finally gets started. Being this is my second Ironman I think I'm a bit more anxious then I was for my first one. I'm not naive about what I'm going to have to go through today. The bike is the hardest event and it is the one I'm most worried about. The bike here in Madison is hard and by the end you are pretty uncomfortable your back hurts, your neck hurts and your crotch hurts. Once I'm off the bike I will be pretty happy. I am feeling confident for the race. 3 weeks ago I was up here and swam 2.4 miles and rode 86 miles of the bike course so I know I can do it. With today being race day I'm happy and sad all at the same time. I'm happy it will be done at the end of the day but I'm sad too. Ironman is a long journey that is the focus of nearly everyday so when its over you are bit lost as too what to do with yourself. Today I plan to enjoy every minute of it because it will be two years before I'm back. If you see me out of the course remind me to smile because today is the culmination of a long adventure.

Saturday, September 11, 2010

I just dropped my gear off in transition for tomorrow's race. Now the rest of the day will be spent relaxing around the hotel and getting ready for tomorrow. I'm stoked to get going. My body feels good, I feel good and I'm ready to go.

After 36 weeks of training and hundreds of hours training Ironman Wisconsin is tomorrow. Hard to believe it was two years ago that I finished my first Ironman and here I am ready to attack my second race. All week long my nerves were getting at me but now that I am here and the race is tomorrow I am ready to go. To all those people who have sent me email, texts and Facebook messages wishing me luck thanks I really appreciate it. I would like to especially thank those people who make the trek up here to cheer me on in person. I can't begin to tell you how much seeing a friendly face cheering me on helps me get to that finish line especially when you get beyond 8 hours of racing.

Friday, September 10, 2010

Here I am at the Ironman welcome dinner and really enjoying being around all the other athletes. There are multi-race veterans and nervous rookies all gathered together getting ready to race. It is nice to be an experienced racer, gives you some street credit at this thing. 36 hours until the start and I am ready to rock.

First link is a GPS tracker attached to my race belt and will update with my position and speed every 30 seconds all day. I will not wear it in the swim so you will not see it start moving until around 9:00am on Sunday morning. The second link is the Ironman website Live Video and Athlete tracker. The Athlete tracker will only update when I cross check points which will be once every couple hours. The live video feed will cover the pro's most of the day but after they finish they will cover the finish line from about 3:30 to midnight so you will be able to see me finish there.

I made up to Madison and am officially checked into Ironman Wisconsin. The lines were pretty long today so it took a good 45 minutes to actually get checked in but that gave me time to swap Ironman war stories with the other people in line. I was able to pick up my tracker as well and I will be posting the link shortly. Being at the race site is great with all the other athletes the energy is really high. Tonight is the athlete welcome dinner and followed by the race meeting. The rest of the day is going to be spent relaxing.

Thursday, September 09, 2010

I decided to wait until tomorrow to head up to Madison to get checked into the race that means today is packing day. I have a check list that I work from but I still worry about forgetting something. The one nice thing about Ironman is you drop your stuff off the day before so if you forget anything you have a full day to get it. If I had to I could drive all the way home and get something. I've started to not sleep very well at night now and when I do sleep all I dream about is Ironman and stuff that can go wrong. I can't wait until Sunday so can get going. Only 3 days away now.

Wednesday, September 08, 2010

Today Jen went in for a biopsy on a small lump she found in her breast a couple weeks back. The radiologists and our family doctor assured us that it was no big deal but to be safe they thought that she should get it taken out. When Jen showed up at the radiologist at 12:45 to check in for her 1:00 pm appointment they had no record of her appointment and things went downhill from there. The nurse ran off to the back and about 30 minutes later she came back with a representative to tell us that they could work her in at 1:30 if she wanted and then proceeded to apologized profusely. About 10 minutes later they came out to get her and she headed back. As they were headed back the first red flag went off. One nurse asked the other nurse, "So is doctor such and such doing this procedure?" The other nurse responds back, "no doctor so and so is doing it." The nurse that asked the question responds in a surprised way "Really?".

Jen gets back there gets her gown put on and waits for the doctor to show up. Once he shows up they put the numbing medicine in make a small incision and get to work. Red flag number two happens when the doctor starts to ask the nurse how the needles work that he is using to do the biopsy. He works with the first needle with no success for a bit. He digs around and around and got to deep, into an area that wasn't numb, and Jen nearly jumps out of her skin. Tears start to run down her face and the nurse tells the doctor to stop at this point. They add some more numbing medicine and the doctor gets another needle to try. Once again the doctor has to ask the nurse how this needle works and gets to work again. He digs and digs and finally gets the job done. At this point Jen is in real pain and they have to take her in for another mammogram. While she is in waiting to get her mammogram she feels something dripping and notices the whole side of her gown is covered in blood. The nurse is instantly concerned, she gets up and runs to get a room, rushes Jen into it and tells the other nurse "Get the doctor!".

Jen had developed a hematoma in process of getting the biopsy and they couldn't get the bleeding stopped. So two nurses and a doctor work and work to get the bleeding stopped which took nearly an hour and a half. About the time they figured out they couldn't get the bleeding stopped I had to leave to go to Clarence to pick Marshall up from the bus stop. During this hour and a half of trying to stop the bleeding Jen's numbing medicine had worn off so she was in severe pain. Finally one of the nurses managed to get stuck by a needle which meant Jen had to drive to another place to get a blood test done when they finally released her. To add insult to injury as she is driving over do the blood draw clinic she opens the bottle of water she had been given at the previous clinic, which happened to be frozen, and it explodes water everywhere when it opens. So on top of being in severe pain she is soaking wet too!

At 4:00pm Jen calls me on the phone and is upset and tells me about the hell she had just endured. I ask if she needs me to drive in and pick her up she says no and tells me she needs to get off the phone so she can drive. Shortly after our home phone rings and I answer it. On the other end is a nurse from RCI, the clinic Jen had gotten her procedure done at. She tells me she can't get a hold of Jen and she needs to know if she went to Wieland to get her blood drawn. At this point I don't know anything about the needle stick and she proceeds to tell me that a nurse had gotten stuck and she can't leave Mercy medical center until they get Jen's blood. Apparently Wieland had managed to lose the record of Jen's blood draw. Hearing how upset Jen was on the phone and now we asking even more of Jen because another clinic managed to screw something up I lose it. So I proceed to tell this nurse that after what my wife has gone through because of their incompetence I frankly don't care that one of their nurses has to wait on us. She then tells me they are going to close soon and I once again tell her that is not my problem and if it is that important they can work late and wait until it is convenient for us to get the blood drawn. After swearing a bit more then I probably should have I tell her I will call Jen and see if I can get a hold of her to ask if she got her blood drawn. I do get a hold of Jen and she tells me yes indeed she did get her blood drawn. I call the nurse back tell her the deal and curtly hang the phone up.

When Jen got home she went right to the couch and has been there ever since groaning in pain. Jen told me that this pain was right up there with child birth and she had both kids without and epidural! I will be playing nurse maid to Jen until her parents get here tomorrow and I leave for Ironman. Poor woman. :( She will get the results of her biopsy next week and I will update the blog.

The Ironman Wisconsin race weekend officially starts in Madison tomorrow. At 10:00am tomorrow athlete check-in starts and closes Friday at 4:00pm. If you have not checked in by 4:00pm tomorrow you will not be allowed to race. Being a bit neurotic I will likely drive to Madison tomorrow to get checked in so there is no worry about getting checked in on time. I don't if I will actually drive back home or just get a hotel room for the night I guess I will decide tomorrow.

I do have to say that this has been one of the toughest weeks of my Ironman training so far and I have done zero actual training. With nothing to focus on I have become somewhat of a hypochondriac this week nearly every part of my body has "hurt" this week. Any small little twinge of discomfort in any part of my body turns into the focus of my worry. So far my left knee, my right knee, my right ankle, right foot, left shoulder and my throat have "hurt". I think the only "real" pain I have is my left knee but nothing that will prevent me from racing but after 36 weeks of investment you really worry about being able to make it to the start line. I think I have nearly driven Jen insane worrying this week. I just can't wait to get to Sunday so my focus can be on executing my race.

This week since Jen and I were so busy mema and papa offered to take Clancey for a couple days so Jen could get stuff done while Marshall and I were gone during the day. This is the first time that Clancey has ever been on a trip without us or Marshall with him. I think he was pretty excited to get all the attention for once without having to share with Marshall. Marshall on the other hand is really missing his brother. Everyday he talks about Clancey and how he can't wait for him to get back home. I guess for those two they have never really been apart since Clancey has been born, heck they even share a room together, so this is probably a little tough on them. He will be back tomorrow so I know Marshall is pretty excited about that.

Sunday, September 05, 2010

Ironman is officially 1 week from today and poor Jen has been subject to a multitude of me saying "Next week at this time I will be doing....." already today. For those who want to know next week at this time I will on my bike somewhere around mile 30. I know a lot of people have expressed interest in either coming to the race or following my progress online so I thought I would put some information up for those who want to follow my progress on race day.

Just like I said on my blog for my last Ironman if you come to see me in Wisconsin expect a long day of standing around with only the opportunity to see me a handful of times for very brief periods. My goal is to finish the race between 13-14 hours if that is any indication of how long you will be at the race site. The race starts at 7:00am with an mass in water start with 2500 people. I will have to be in the water by 6:45 am so you likely won't see me before I get in the water that morning. Since everyone will be in a black wetsuit with the same color swim cap on you won't be able to see me in the water either. Although I would say that it you've never seen a Ironman swim start it is something else to witness. 2500 people all fighting for position for at least the first mile is pretty cool to watch. The swim is a two loop swim and I expect to do it in around 1:45 which would put me out of the water at 8:45am. A word of warning, I am not a very good swimmer so I will be in the last couple hundred out of the water. What that means is you will see old people and over weight people exit the water well before I do so don't worry when you see this. I am still out there stroking away and will be along eventually.

Once I'm done with the swim it will be onto the bike for me. Ironman transitions take around 10 minutes so don't expect to see me get on my bike until around 9:00 am. The bike is a two loop endeavor with a 13 mile ride out to Verona followed by two 43 mile loops and then a 13 mile ride back in. There is a shuttle bus from downtown Madison that takes you out to Verona for the loop party. You will be able to see me come by on my bike twice. I'm expecting the bike to take me 6:30 to 7:00 hours which will put me in Verona around 12:15-12:30 for my first loop and back through again around 3:00pm and back at Monona Terrace around 4:00pm.

The run, just like the bike, is a two loop affair as well. The run offers the most opportunities to see me all day. You will be able to see me on loop by the capital and then a short walk over to State Street and you will be able to see me again so twice per loop. By that time of the race I will need it. My goal on the run is 5 hours but this is the time I have the least confidence in. So the run could take me anywhere from 5-6 hours to complete. I'm hoping to be crossing the finish line between 8-9pm and in a worst case at 10:00pm.

Race updates and video will be available at www.ironman.com all day of the race. My race number is #742 so you will be able to track me across the various checkpoints as I cross them all day from that website. The race video will show all the finishers as the cross all afternoon and night, if you want to see me finish you will be able to see me there. I'm hoping to have some kind of tracking device on me all day and will post an update on my blog once I have something figured out. For more information on the race go to www.ironmanwisconsin.com.

Saturday, September 04, 2010

We're back from our family trip and had a good time. We we're thinking on the way back that this was the first successful trip we've had in the Camaro probably ever. No watching the temperature gauge like a hawk and driving with three feet trying to keep from dieing. We stopped at the park and both Marshall and Clancey had a great time. Now I'm off to the pool for an easy swim and then a short bike, only 8 days until Ironman.

This morning we all loaded in the Camaro and headed to Kalona to Stringtown. For those who don't know Stringtown is a Amish store just outside Kalona that sells a bunch of unique things in bulk. The boys seemed to enjoy the trip in the Camaro a bit more today since I drove a bit more sane and we could keep the windows up. After this I think we are going to grab some lunch and left the kids play in a playground somewhere.

Friday, September 03, 2010

I'm finally home after a full day of travel that started this morning at 9 am. It was good to see the family and be able give some kisses and hugs. Travel went pretty good today except that they managed to lose my luggage. They say that if my luggage doesn't show up by tomorrow at one I need to call another number. I'm betting I will be on the phone tomorrow with American airlines trying to track my lost luggage down. Either way I'm happy to be home and get to sleep in my own bed.

Well I'm sitting on the plane after a long week in Huntsville. The trip turned out to be one of the more worthwhile business trips I've been on in a while. Last night after I had dinner at Ruth Chris Steakhouse I went down and saw the US Space and Rocket Center to check it out. It was closed when I got there so I only got to take pictures of the outside but it was still pretty cool. Here is a picture of a rocket that is outside the museum. I feel like it has been a pretty long week and I'm excited to get home to see the family and start getting prepared for Ironman in 9 days from now.

Thursday, September 02, 2010

This afternoon we all got to head out to Redstone arsenal to check the fit of the new MFD mock up in the actual aircraft. In all the years I've developed software for the Blackhawk I've only ever got to see the actual aircraft one other time. The army contractor who took us out to the hanger told us that we should jump in the cockpit and take some pictures so of course I took the opportunity. Hopefully the boys think the pictures are cool.

As of today I'm officially 10 days from Ironman and getting excited to get going. Next week at this time I will be headed to Madison to get checked in for the race. It was 240 days ago that this journey back to Ironman started and now the race is so close I can taste it. At this point my training plan is "Don't do anything stupid". At this point no fitness can be gained so any workout should be nothing more then 30 minutes just to keep the body used to the events. Being I'm in Huntsville right now so I haven't been able to workout much this week, this weekend I will have to get one each in at some point. In the next couple days I will post the information about the race for thoughs who want to follow it online or at the race site.

About Me

Levi is a software engineer currently working at Rockwell Collins in Cedar Rapids. Levi lives in Clarence, Iowa where he has lived since 2004 and he is serving his third four year term a city councilman.

When Levi isn't working he spends time raising his two awesome boys, Marshall and Clancey. Levi is also in training for his 9th Ironman Triathlons which will be held in Madison, Wisconsin on September 13th of 2015. .